Dolphinshttp://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2....838x0_q80.jpg
Dolphins are well-documented as intelligent animals. As Discovery News reports, the dolphin’s large brain is structured for awareness and emotion. In fact, dolphin brains are more structurally complex than humans.

Ratshttp://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2....838x0_q80.jpg
Rats have earned a bad reputation, but they are highly intelligent creatures. As researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario point out, "Although rats may not approach cognitive tasks using strategies observed in human subjects, they are frequently successful on their own terms. Indeed, rats are adept at exploiting procedural loopholes and confounded variables overlooked by human test designers."

Bonobohttp://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2....838x0_q80.jpg
Like other great apes, bonobos have been taught to use sign language and symbols. National Geographic writes of "the bonobo Kanzi, for instance, [who] carries his symbol-communication board with him so he can talk to his human researchers, and he has invented combinations of symbols to express his thoughts."

Duckshttp://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2....838x0_q80.jpg
Ducklings just might be capable of abstract thought too.
A new study suggests that ducklings can learn, and imprint on, the relationship between objects, considering more than just the characteristics of the objects themselves. And that could disrupt what we think about thought. When a duckling hatches, it quickly identifies its mother, or what it thinks isits mother, and begins to follow her around.

Elephantshttp://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2....838x0_q80.jpg
Elephants have a reputation for smarts. Elephants have been observed using tools such as sticks to pick at ticks or using palm fronds to swat at flies. As the Nature Institute points out, "many young elephants [in the wild] develop the naughty habit of plugging up the wooden bell they wear around their necks with good stodgy mud or clay so that the clappers cannot ring, in order to steal silently into a grove of cultivated bananas at night."

Cowshttp://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2....838x0_q80.jpg
Cows seem like placid animals merely concerned with chewing their cud. As it turns out, they possess a rich and complex emotional life. The Times reports that scientists have found that cows have friends and enemies. Further, "Cows are also capable of feeling strong emotions such as pain, fear and even anxiety — they worry about the future."

Squirrelshttp://media.mnn.com/assets/images/2....838x0_q80.jpg
Anyone who has ever seen a squirrel dart across a crowded street has wondered if it is aware of the danger. It turns out a squirrel may be — but if there is food on the opposite end of the street, it may not matter. Squirrels are fast learners, according to a recent study from Science Daily, and they learn from their peers. Stealing food is a trick that squirrels pass along.

I think maybe we could quibble about a few choices, but all these creatures have remarkable powers in their own environments. The great apes like bonobos are obviously smart. Ravens and the crow cousins are startlingly intelligent and belie the phrase, "bird brain". Pigs too are underrated by people who don't know a lot about them; experts consider them at least as smart as dogs.

07-17-2016, 07:22 PM

blackraven

You can add Orca's to that list along with big cats and Wolve's.

07-20-2016, 06:05 PM

Smokey

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feanor

Pigs too are underrated by people who don't know a lot about them; experts consider them at least as smart as dogs.

I wonder why dogs are not included in this list. Maybe 1000’s years of Dogs domestication have rubs off some of their smart as being close to humans deprive them of their natural environments and instinct. But many can argue against that point

07-21-2016, 05:30 AM

Feanor

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smokey

I wonder why dogs are not included in this list. Maybe 1000’s years of Dogs domestication have rubs off some of their smart as being close to humans deprive them of their natural environments and instinct. But many can argue against that point

Maybe we have just too much familiarity with dogs to give them the credit they deserve.

07-22-2016, 05:49 PM

blackraven

Dogs should definitely be on the list. I have a Giant Schnauzer and they are called the dog with the human brain. They are too smart for their own good. It is the second one that I have owned and he constantly amazes me at how much he understands and even at 10 years of age he is still learning to do new things like open the sliding door to my deck and also open the latch to the gate that goes from my deck to my back yard.

07-22-2016, 09:34 PM

Smokey

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackraven

Dogs should definitely be on the list. I have a Giant Schnauzer and they are called the dog with the human brain. They are too smart for their own good. It is the second one that I have owned and he constantly amazes me at how much he understands and even at 10 years of age he is still learning to do new things like open the sliding door to my deck and also open the latch to the gate that goes from my deck to my back yard.

I would go as far as say that smarts vary between Dog’s breeds. I used to two dogs of different breed (small and medium size) in the fenced back yard, and small one was much smarter than medium size dog.

Anytime I finished playing with them in the back yard, and I opened the gate to exit, the small one would always bite on back of my pants legging trying to hold me back from leaving. He wants to play more :D